Picture Postcard Magic - Abingdon-on-Thames

Check out my latest guest post on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age. It's about my home town of Abingdon.

Bun throwing activities at Abingdon Museum

Details of museum fun and games during lockdown.

Buns on display at Abingdon County Hall Museum

My parents let me know that Abingdon County Hall Museum has a number of indoor activities to pass the time and keep you entertained during lockdown.

Among the lockdown fun and games are a bun throwing jigsaw puzzle and a bun throwing quiz.

The quiz is nicely tricky.

Throwing buns

We revisited the museum the last time I was back home. It's always nice to pop in and see the exhibits and have a look out from the roof when it's open.

The last bun throwing held in Abingdon-on-Thames was in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

I wonder when it will be possible to hold another bun throwing?

As a mass gathering and celebration event it's something that won't be taking place for quite some time.

It'd be nice to think a bun throwing could be held to mark the safe end of the coronavirus pandemic.

No Umbrellas

One of the fun things about the mass scramble of a bun throwing event is seeing the different tactics people employ in an effort to catch or retrieve a bun.

As a traditionalist I opt for the open handed catch. However, quite a few people use the upturned umbrella approach. Something that was outlawed at the last event!

A new rule

The last Abingdon bun throwing took place in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War. The weather wasn't too great at all and the umbrellas people brought along were actually used to keep the rain off them rather than to catch buns in.

I've never gone in for the umbrella catching tactic as I've seen more buns bounce, slip and slide out of upturned brollies than stay in

Social distancing from a Bun Throwing sign in 2018. Yellow and black warning signs have become commonplace in 2020